The other morning, as I was preparing my lunch and snacks for the day, I took 10 minutes to create a healthy, fresh, delicious and fulfilling snack with organic ingredients I had on hand. I can’t wait to try this tomorrow. One helpful tip to keep this fresh: save the avocado pit and store it in the container to keep it fresh. And if you have fresh lime, squeeze the juice from one half of a small lime over the top and lightly toss all ingredients with love. Lastly, if I would have had fresh, organic cilantro I would have chopped up a bunch and tossed it in as well.

3 green onions, washed, dryer and chopped (be sure to remove the tip of both ends)

Gently place all in a bowl and then create the dressing in a separate, clean bowl. Mix together one teaspoon jarred garlic paste (Christopher Ranch makes a good organic one), a generous portion of black ground pepper, several dashes of tobacco sauce (my one ingredient that is not organic, but does not contain sugar!), one tablespoon of flax seed oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (I prefer Nature’s Sea Salt which happens to be Kosher and from Heber City, Utah). Mix all dressing ingredients together to form a smooth paste and the pour over fruits and veggie mixture. Light toss, and then squeeze the juice of one half of a lime over, lightly mix, add the avocado pit you saved to the bowl and cover. Store overnight and enjoy alone or toss in 2-3 cups off baby spinach. Sit down and enjoy!

With humble gratitude,

Kristy Summers
Certified Baptiste Power Yoga Teacher
Co-author of The Fruit Feast, a guide to support you in a 3-day, fruit only, cleanse

Many of you have asked us about eating nuts on your 3-day fruit only cleanse. And, while nuts are technically fruits, one of the main objectives of this cleanse is to flush out the things in your internal system that are not serving you – literally and physically. Whole, water-based fruits will flush your system out, while dense nuts or dried fruits will “plug you up” so to speak.

And, some of you may have heard the news that Ashton Kutcher spent two days in the hospital after trying to stick to Steve Jobs’ fruitarian diet, which consists of eating fruits, nuts and seeds. While we don’t have insight into what Mr. Kutcher was eating, we do know this: when fat is high in the blood stream, insulin cannot do its job (to transport sugar) and adrenaline kicks in as a support mechanism (adrenaline stimulates the pancreas, which produces insulin). This way the pancreas and the adrenals get “fatigued” over time. Eventually….major health problems can result. That is why it is so important to not overload on nuts/seeds/fats when eating a raw food or fruitarian type diet. It is a mistake a lot of people make who claim they have no energy or feel run down due to their diet.

We all know you need to eat a TON of fruit to get enough calories in a day (compared to just a few handfuls of nuts). Stick to water based fruits (sweet and savory) and enjoy your fruit FEAST!

What a powerful week this has been! I am honored to contribute to this program and support your journey by offering you weekly nutrition tips, recipes and by sharing with you my own personal experiences as my personal transformation unfolds. In addition to contributing to this program, I am co-leading the 40 Day program at the Baptiste affiliate studio I teach at in Bellevue – Shakti Vinyasa Yoga. A lot is opening up for me through the other teacher leader and our 24 participants. And right now I feel gratitude, joy, love and humble to be a contributor and co-create both programs.So, it is extremely cold outside in Seattle today and for the past several days. Last week, Baron encouraged us to consider our hot and cold body patterns, as well as our deficient and excessive body patterns. Normally, my body patterns are hot, and I have recently realized that I have an excessive body pattern as well. Excessive in terms of sugar. Lots of sugar. So much so that I determined that I have had sugar in some form every day of my life since infancy. Like many Mom’s, mine was unfortunately unable to breast feed me, so and I drank formula instead. Many moons ago, baby formula companies put corn syrup in their products to encourage fussy babies to eat. And, my Mom was, and still is, a fabulous cook and I had homemade dessert every day growing up. From pies to cookies, to cakes and ice cream. It was heaven. I even had a homemade dessert in my lunch box every day. Now, my Mom bakes seven of her famous lemon meringue pies for our church every week and sends me cookies, jams and sweet breads during the holidays. Another thing to note is that I may in fact be addicted to candy – specifically the sour types of candy like Laffy Taffy, Sweetarts, Sour Jelly Bellies and the like. I also enjoy high-end chocolates. So, yes, it appears that I am addicted to sugar. Now you are clueing into why I chose to give it up for 40 days.I have committed to consuming no sugar in any and all forms, including honey and anything artificial (yuck!). Today is day 9, and let me just say things have been interesting around here. Well, the way eliminating sugar has shown up for me was not what I expected at all – which was to have low energy and sleep more. Instead, I have been like the Energizer Bunny, talking non-stop, sleeping four hours on most nights and burning off tons of calories. I truly Dropped What I knew, and it has been humbling and life changing. I now ask every restaurant what ingredients are in their culinary creations, and demand emphatically that they do not put any sugar or variations of it in any of my meals. I also read labels as if they were on the New York Times’ Best Sellers lists. And, I am GETTING THINGS DONE and I FEEL FABULOUS!This week, our nutrition focus is eating fresh foods. As often as you can, incorporate whole fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish and whole grains into your daily food intake. Prepare meals with your own two hands, with as few added ingredients as possible. And have some fun! I recommend that you consider cooking your friends, family, neighbors, spouse, partner, colleagues and kids! Or, invite a local senior over to “break bread” and build your community. Or, reach out to those in need and prepare and share a healthy meal with them…Why? Because you can, and as Baron frequently says, “If you can, you must!”To support you with this week’s nutrition focus, and to continue to support last week’s balancing diet inquiry, I will share with you four simple and delicious recipes – one for each theme from last week that supports eating fresh foods this week.The last thing I wanted to share with you in this post is that I tried out the new 10-minute meditation Baron recorded for week two. His theme is vitality and space – in your body and in your actions. I found his message to be profound and very powerful. I recommend you give it a whirl the next time you meditate. An added bonus that I forgotten: Baron almost always coaches you through a simple stretch at the end of meditation. I dig that! Happy eating to all, and to all a good night!KristyP.S: The three day, fruit only cleanse begins in Week 4. Be sure to order a copy of the book I co-authored asap so that it arrives to you in time to support you during your cleanse. Our book offers additional guidance, tools, recipes, menus and an online nutrition tracker to support you and your success. Order a copy of The Fruit Feast on the Baron’s website at: http://www.baronbaptiste.com/store/category/books/Recipes:Heating: Spicy Coconut Soup:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/spicy-coconut-soup-recipe/index.htmlCooling: Cold Cucumber Souphttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cold-cucumber-soup-recipe/index.htmlBuilding: 3-Cheese Potato & Yam Gratinhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/giadas-3-cheese-potato-gratin/102853.html

Blueberry picking in Oregon's Williammette Valley. In about 2 hours, 4 of us picked over 25 pounds of fresh organic berries, yum!

One of my favorite things to do right now, with summer in full swing in the Pacific Northwest, is to eat fresh fruits that are in season. I make a meal of it: happily devouring 3-4 peaches for breakfast or a pint (or two) of fresh organic blueberries!

Wherever you might be fruit feasting, check out the local farmers market and see what is in season. Pick your favorite fruit, and make a meal of it! Make sure to eat enough calories to feel satiated and fuel your body, and enjoy!

With the summer bounty from local farmer’s markets, take advantage of all the fantastic organic fruits that are available now. This soup is great for lunch on a warm day. Thank you to Victoria from the recent Digital 40 Days program for sharing this with us!

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"We have also used The Fruit Feast during our 40 Days to a Personal Revolution programs with with GREAT results! It really helps empower the students, dispel fears around the fast, and help them create diets that meet their caloric needs, resulting in better experiences. LOVE IT!"